Record controlled machine



INVENTR Nov. 9, 1937. R. E. PAGE l RECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed Oct.4, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1937. R. E. PAGE 2,098,355

RECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed oct. 4, 1935 5 sheds-sheet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1937.y R. E. PAGE RECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Filed oct.4, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 9, 1937. R. E. PAGE 2,098,355

RECORD CONTROLLED MACHIN Filed Oct. 4, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 9,1937. R. E. PAGE RECORD GONTROLLED MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 5 5 9 l 4.t. o 6. d G um a .l K

M mm 5 T Hw MA RH TD WN LM m :52 m zum E E s R E w m n w T. R zzozxzw oH0 n0 no no No B0 N w U uw o .uw C Mw E w G uw w uw RAv ...M 30 zo o1111141H111111111111'111unmmarrmazk 2222 2222222|122zzzzzzzzzzzzmnnlsFINGER 33n3`33333333333333333533333RR|N5 FINGER 4 444 44|] 444444444444444 44444R.I.ITTLE FINGER 555 5n555555555555555 555 5555LTHUMBecsesssccsasssscc cecGcsLFlRsr FINGER 7777777 777D77777777777477777LAMmou: FII/@ER BBSBBBSSBBBBBSSBBS 85886981.. RINGFINGER 9 999|]999999999959999939S999LLHTL FINGER |134 5 970s IaIIIzumcmanuumwuzm "o" SLIDE INVENJT'O@ Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UN IT E SiAESParr/ rv VRECORD CONTROLLED MACHINE Application October 4, 1935,SeralNo. 43,493

. 13 Claims.

This invention relates to record controlled machines in general.

The broad object of the present invention is to improve the selectordevice forming the subject matter of application Serial No. 758,531,filed December 20, 1934 by Ernest Rose.

An object is to greatly simplify the selector described in the Roseapplication so as to make it more compact, more convenient tomanipulate, and reduce its cost.

Another object is to eliminate the large number of spring-actuated partsand multiplicity of contacts and other small parts disclosed in the Roseapplication.

A further object is to provide a closer co-ordi nation of the impulseemitters with `the selector slides of the Rose application by combiningthe slides with the emitters, thereby greatly simplifying the wiring ofthe machine and eliminating a great many small parts.

An object is to provide a selector mechanism which eliminates thenecessity for the complicated code used in punching the cards describedin the Rose application.

A further object is to provide a combination plug board and analyzerunit which is removable from the machine and eliminates the brushshifting device and interchangeable brush carriers used in the Roseselector.

Various other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will bepointed out in the following description and claims, or will be apparentfrom a study of the description, claims, and drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section of the left-hand portion ofthe machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 avertical section on line 3--3 in Fig. 2. 4 is a front elevation of thecard analyzing mechanism.

5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a View of theplugboard. 4 Fig. l is a specimen card.

8 is a fragmentary view of the graduated Vbars and finger pieces for theselector slides.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section on line 9--9 in Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a wiringdiagram. The present invention has been shown in the drawings and willbe described hereinafter as applied to an International electric sortingmachine of a type now extensively used. The basic principles of thismachine and a general description of its construction will be found inLetters Patent No.`1,741,985. It will be understood, however, that'theinvention may be applied to other sorting machines or changed'in detailsin order to adapt it to conditions found in practice.

The card hopper is composed of two end plates 20 (Fig. 1), a side plate2i, and two posts 22 secured to a castingl 23 which forms the bottom ofthe hopper. The casting is provided with two sets of guides in which aremounted picker slides like 24 having picker knives like 25. The usualthroat block 26, secured tor casting 23, and a throat knife 2l, securedto plate 2i, are provided and are adjusted to permit removal of only onecard at a time from the hopper.. The slides 25 are reciprocated by meansof two arms 23 secured to a 'cross shaft ZQ'and having a pin and slotconnection to said slides. A link @il connects the rearmost arm 28 to acrank 3! on the front endof a shaft 32Y (Figs. 2 and 3). Shaft 32 isdriven by the main shaft 33 through a worm 34 thereon and a worm wheel35 secured toshaft 32. L

Shaft 32 and crank 3i are driven by shaft 33 at the rateof onerevolution per card cycle, therefore a card will be fed through the cardthroat, that is, the space between throat block 26 and throat knife 21,once per card cycle.

After each card has traveled a predetermined distance out of the hopper,it is gripped by a set of feed rollers 33 mounted on shafts 38 driven byshaft 33 through suitable Worm gearing 39. The rollers 36 feed the cardsto the left past card sensing mechanism which is arranged to sense theholes in the card and, in co-operation with Y the selector hereinafterdescribed in detail, controls the distribution of the cards to thevarious sorting pockets. The shafts 38 are mounted in suitable bearingscarried by the front rail 49 and rear rail 4i, and the upper shaft isdesigned to have a small amount of vertical movement to ensure that thecards will be fed evenly.

Roller bearings 42 (Figs. 4 and 5), mounted in removable housingsl orcarriers 43 secured to the rails 40, 4|, support a contact roll shaftfill. Secured to shaft 44 is a pair of hubs 45 supporting insulatingcollars iion which collars is mounted a tubular metallic contact roll`CR. A worm wheel4'l secured to shaft 44 meshes with a worm .48 on shaft33.v The driving ratio is such that Contact roll'CRV turns with the sameperipheral velocity as the rollers 36.

Co-operating with contact roll CR is aremovable analyzer unit. Theframework of this unit comprses'a pair of end plates 49 (Figs. 1, 4 and5) 2 -A j 2,098,355V thel specimen punched'card shown'in Fig. '7.yAcentire box-like analyzer frame assembly compris-I ing plates 49, rods50, 5I, cover plate 5 5'and guide r52, as well as any partssupported byplates 49,

may be removed from the machine by sliding the with a hole behind hole'ma just large enoughto hold' the normalY sorting plug SP while'behind`hole lbmay be provided Va sleeve and eyebolt `whiclisecure a suitableterminal lug 55a (Figs. l

integrally joined by cross rods 50,"5I andacard -guide bar 52secured tothe lower edges'of platesv :49, lwhich Vare suitably shaped Vat 49a. toYavoid Y interference with the upper shaft v38.

Posts53, 54 securedrrto the inside of rai1s40,

4l lit vertical guide s lots'49b cut in the outer faces 5I bymeans oilugs'55w (Fg:5) formedin. said plate and curved around said rod.'Ihiscover plate rests on thetop ,edges of plates 49. The

frame vertically onposts 53, 54. Y

The analyzer frame assembly is locked inY place by means ofspring-pressed plungers or bolts 56 which' are'mounted in suitablebores in 'the upper ends of guides 53. Thumbpieces 51 secured toVboltsare provided for the purpose of withdrawingvr the bolts fromsuitable holes ini plates 49l in which said bolts 'are seated. The thumbpieces 5l` have` ribs Sla seated in vgrooves out in the guides 53 whenthe Abolts are properly seated in the holesv A pair of rock levers 58 ispivoted to the inside of plates 49bymeans of screw'studs 59, and jour-Vnaledinvthe righth'andends of these Vlevers (Figs.

cal movement relative to plates49. YSecured .to

shaft 6!) are twofeedV rollersll Vmade ofinsulatf v ing Vmaterialandeach is provided witha series of deep analyzer brush guiding grooves.VSprings`62` anchored tofrod and to the left-hand ends of levers 58,cause theifeed rollers 6l lAto. be pressed down upon Contact roll CR.

AGfears secured to thevrear endsof shafts 44, cause the'rrolls 6lto`be1driven with theY same peripheral .velocity as `roll CR. AThus,fthe rolls CR'and liln act a's feedrollersto carry the cards past'the'analyzingjbrushes. -Y

A Vbrush supporting 4bar'64 is secured to plate 49 in such fashionas toVhaveone face sloping downwardly and toward the left inrFig 1 in thegeneral direction of the line of contacts of rolls CR and 6|. This faceis provided with' as' many transverse slotsas there are grooves in therolls -BI and the slots'are in the samevertical planes as said grooves-jEach slot in bar 64 contains anV ranalyzing brush B which .extendsdownwardly and to the left through one of the grooves in rollers 6lintoV engagement with the Contact roll CR.

' 'Ihe brushes rB are securedin their'slots'by means of special eyebolts65 (Fig. V1) whichareA The latterihave slotted threaded into sleeves 66.

heads on the side of1bar`64 oppositelbrushesB by the sleeves were tooclose together.

Secured to the bar 64 bymeans offs'crews ST and spacing sleeves 69(Figsl'l and 4) fis' a plugboard front plate GS m'ade of insulating'material. As

`Shown in- Fig. 6, thisplate has.v two series of register withthebores'of sleeves 66. Y f

staggered plug holes 10 which are Yarranged to The brushes Bassociatedwith the right-hand roll El' (Fig. 5) correspond to columns 1t 26 of of thecards.

ii and 4) is a shaft 69 which extendsithrough'slots in the loweredgeslof thevplates 49 and the upper edgefoi rear rail 4I so as'to havea limited verticordingly, the left-hand seriesof 4holes 'lllv (Fig. 6)

Vhave been numbered l to 26 on plate gjfor purposes of identication.Similarly the right-hand series of holes 'it' correspondto columns 40 to'76 inclusive on the cardG'Ih'he plate `69 may be "engraved, printed, or'embossed as shown in Fig. 6 f

to guide the operator in plugging the machine.

hole 'Illa being merely a convenient receptacle for the normal sortingAplug SP when the latter is.

not in use, whilehole 'Ibf is for 'the 'reception- 'of' thenormalsortingplug when the special selector isbeing used. `The bar' 64 may beprovided and 4) tothe bar V(id instead of? a brush;l This terminallugmay be' connected to a wire leading tor. Thesleeve behind'hfole 'lbis designated ses in Fig. =1o.

which project partly into the grooves in rolls 6| soV as to permit onlylimited flexure of `brushes B in saidgrooves. Thus, bar 52, co-operatingwith4 the raised portions or fins in'rolls 6l hold -the brushes B inalignment `with the proper columns a pair or" card guide blocks l2 whichextend to the left parallel lwith vthe.riglfit-hand'ends of the usualguide blades lathe ends .ofwwhich rest on .the armature ld :of theisorting magnet SM. The guide blades 'i3 lead to thesorting pockets. The.cards are Aconveyed to the sorting pockets by feed lrollers like i5driven by shaft 33., Thesorting .pocketsare notV shown in the drawings.f

`The-magnet SM operates the guide blades 13 selectively in a well-knownway which is fully ex-`V plained in Paten'tNd 1,741,985. ItV willsuffice to Vstate herethat if magnet SM is energized at, Vsay the12position cf a card cycle when a brush vB sensesa l2 hole in a card,such' card willbe conveyed to the l2 pocket whereas if notener- Vgized;the card will be conveyedto the vusual reject pocket.V Energization ofVmagnet SM at other points in a card cycle correspondinglto holes of V20to the slide barsupport piatesofthe special selec-V It will'beseen thatplate 69, bar", 64, and sleeves 66, 66S constitute a plug board.

The bar 52 is slotted to form narrowtongues 52a` 25 Secured'to the loweredgesofA plates 49 is'a crossf Y Vbar ll. i Secured tothe vunderside 'ofbar 'Il is given 'values will cause the cards so punchedto be conveyedtothe pockets designated with the same values.

The rear Vplate 49 hasits upper edge provided With'a slot adaptedtoreceive a'cable 'I6' containing twentyLeight wires. Cable' Ais protectedments of the special selector. Another wire'19 (Fig. 1G) is provided forthe normal sorting'plu'g SP while the twenty-eight wire 89 connects theterminal lug 55a associatedwith sleeve 66S tol the Vsupport plates forthe selector slides.

' The construction and operation of the special selector will be more,easily understood by'explaining atthis point the method of punching thevcards with reference to thespecirnen showninV Fig. 7. Y The nger printrecord sheets on whichv the nger prints of an 'individualjhis or -lierphotograph, and particulars of the individuals character, physicalcharacteristics, and other data are recorded, are-designated with aserial number. There is a card like Vthe one shown in Figi? :for eachfinger print record sheet which card is punched in the right-hand halfto'record the finger print classification data and the serial number ofthe record sheet. In the left-hand haii of the card is recorded theridge 'count'of each ringer. ff *f Y vThe Rose application Serial No.'758,531 describes a method of coding the ridge countV whichnecessitated a rather intricate selector with a complex wiring system.The present invention Aaims to provide a much simpler method ofrecording the ridge count in the cards in orderV to re! duce the numberof working parts and greatly simplify the wiring. In the selectordevice`hereinaft-er described, the much simpler way of relg the ridge countmakes the Wiring of the" COIL.

, extremely simple, requiring littlemore wiring than the cable Iii inaddition to the usual wiring Vof simple sorting machines.

The ridge count of a given iinger is recorded punching a single hole inone of the columns l to 26 in the index point position corresponding tothat finger. Thus, in thespecimen card of Fig. 7, the row of G indexpoint positions represents the right thumb anda count of four ridges isrecorded by punching a hole in the 0 position of column 4.

Similarly, a ridge count of eight for the right irst ringer is recordedby punching a' hole in the l position of column 8, and so on. When arecord sheet lacks a print of a given ringer, by reason of ,inability tosecureone, or identify it with any degree of certainty, a hole ispunched in the 27th column headedVUnknown. great majority of the recordsheets will'be complete as to prints since they will berfurnished bypolice oicers, prison wardensfor voluntarily by utationf On'the otherhand, quite a few due to the fact that the wantedV criminal 'is unknownand has only left one or two prints at the scene of the crime or onpersonal articles handled by the criminal.

The special selector mechanism is mounted in a unitary frame castingcomprising sides Sla, ib which are joined by a bottom cross bar Bic anda stiiening bar tid. As shown in Fig. 2,'

this frame casting is mounted between andibelow the rails 49, il andbetween theframe cast'- i' "ings 82 which support the hopper-parts.v Thewith a single pin, The opposite end of tube 85` is threaded to receive anut 8l. VClarnped between collar 35 and nut 8l by means of the latter isan assemblage of parts consisting ofr two metallic end discstwenty-seven discs 89 of insulating material, and twenty-six metallicbrush carriers* eti.

.The discs 8S are separated by theY brush car.- riers 9i! and theseparts, as VVKWell as the enddiscs The the individuals themselves, and insuch kcases all `ts will appearcr be 'accounted for asl by 1 ets willhave one or more iingerprints missing provide twol rows of armsextending on diametri- Y cally opposite sides of shaft eli' and with'the arms of each row in axial alignment. Each arm has a semi-circularnotch in which loosely ts a fulcrum lug formed ina flat brush'V orcontactY shoe 9i so that the shoes have pivotalmovement in" planes.transverse of the shaftV Se and are guided bydiscsii. The shoes Siarefslightly thinner than the carriers 9i] to permit free ,pivotal-Vmovement of the shoes'between discs B9. Preferably th'e carriers Si? aremade of tempered steel While the shoes 91 are made of beryllium copper.The discs 89 support four rods 92, a pair of which is associated witheach row of shoes 9i.

One rod of each pair acts as a stop for bow springs 93. One end of eachspring is looped around theother rodl ofthe pair, while the free end ofthe spring bear'sjon the tail of one of the Contact shoes 9i in suchfashion astol tend to move th'e'free end o-utwardlyfaway from the shaftSe'. The free ends of shoes 9! are curved radially f awayfrom shaft 343and are slightly chamfered. A pair of rods S4 are secured in the sidesSla,

Bib of thefframe casting'and extend parallel Y with shaft vInsulatablymounted on'the rods 94, as by means of long tubes 95 .and Vspacing co1-lars .Se of insulating material', are twenty-six semi-circular fcontact;segments '91, preferably made of Ahard brass. `The collars d are made inY two `widths (Fig.` `2)'-to compensate. for the two differentthicknessesfofl dis'cs@ and are arranged to .space-segments' Q ?in theplanes of shoes 9|.

The inner edgesotsegments are concentric `with shaft 84 and'haveaxslightly greater radius ofY curvature than discs 892' Springs 93 pressshoes 9i in contact with thefinner edges of segments '9i so that saidshoeswipe Aover said segments asvtheV shaft 85' revolves Thes'egments t?have .terminal lugs Qld which are staggered to provideV room forterminalscrews 98 by means of which the twentyesix wires of cable "i6, correvspending to the brushes JB` sensing columns 1 to 26 ofthe cards, areconnected'to said segments.

In Fig. 2, the small Ynumerals l tof 26 appearing rdirectly abo-Ve thetoprow of shoes Si indicate thecolumns of the cardswith which the pairof shoes 9i and segments 9'5 correspond.

Cil

VIt will life apparent from what has been said Yregarding-'the twothicknesses of discs SQ that the pairs of shoes 9| corresponding tocolumns l to 14 are spaeedvfurther apart than the pairs of shoes forcolumns l5 to 26. The assemblage of parts on rods S4 comprising tube95,;collars 95,

and segments Si are spaced lfrom the sides Sian,

8H) of the-frameV casting by'two short sleeves 96a Aof suitable lengths.

Mounted on the inner endsl oi Vbushings 83 adjacent the sides S la, 8l bofthe frame casting are two shouldered washers or collars SS ofinsulating material (Figs.V 2 and 9). Y The shoulder of each of thesecollars vSlrsupports a pair oi guide segments les, itil whicharelinsulatablysecured against rotationon-collarslay/means of bolts I2(Fig. 9) `andfsuitableinsulating collars and washers,-the bolts |52passing through holes in .Y thesides `am, awojf the frame'casnngrne l Yguide segment `has .a series of ten Vguide slots Ila disposed in an arcwith shaft 84 as a center and radiating fronrsaid shaft to forni a guidecomb. Segment |09 has a smooth arcuatefguide edge ,|0060 concentric`with shaft 84', and ofiV the s'ameradi'us as theinner'yedges; ofsegments Sl.'

Supported by the edge lga andV guided by fthe slots |D|a are tenVselector slidesf .|3'which act both as commutator bars andas a meansffor "positions, anothen'i'or the 8 positionsQandf. so

v ion; Irtfwill'be evident freni Fig. Y'l thatlthre: slides vlllxals'o'correspondtothe ngersof both hands The edges of slidesv|VU3-'nearestsharftl8 actasI contact surfaces, overrwhich shoes'filfwipe.' as

shafty 81| rotates, and it is for this reason that*V4 Y insulatethe"s'hoes'"9| Whenfsetoppositethe'difl ferent'numbers o'nrthe grafcruatedibars`:` l,

the edges Ilma in segments illare'm'ade of Vsame Vradius as'the inneredges of 'segments 91. VThe edges ofrrslides I 0 3 contacted by shoes 9|are"V spaced closeiienough tofprevent the chamf'ered `ends of the shoesfroml catchingrvon thev `sides of `The guide'segments 1| BVI-"areprovidedlvvith'arl cuateslots ||b (FigsgandQ) concentricwith Y. firmcontactv with edges |0||a by theouter 'edges Y surface of plate`lMfwhich serves asl alguide to Thesprings '|01 ensure'properelectricalcontactf jbetween slides|3fandsegn1ents |0|J,.||1|.rv VVThe jVplate'iEiIl also electricallyjconnects segments Hill; Y

' |0| froinvvhich it'vvill'b'e apparent that the carlo,

sleeve-'65S is connectedf Secured to the'outer edges are provided withten shallow'rectangularslots which are coi-radial with the slots .'Igla;The in-V nerLc'urved Vsurfaces'of members' |06 areprovdedfvvithrsi'rnilar's'lots oppositefand` parallelv vvith the slides |03.VIn theseslots are locatedL-shaped,V

fsprings; H31:A vmadej'cf flat':ribbon which beary v*against the sidesof the adjacent guideV iland Y also press down upontheV correspondingslides B3.

The parts of the springs |01 Which engageslides V!E!3 V are also turned'upwardly'torlocsely engage'v the'jsides of members |06V opposite.segment'sfll;

| 03 areA all connected tothe Ysleeverrs.`

' @098,355 Y f ,l

selector to select predef Wire `8ll'leading to A I Y a o fthe'segmentsAsulV are arcuate rnernlinersY |06`of vinsulating material.A The sides ofmembers lf'adjacent segments g||J| slides 1 Secured to eachy slide||)3.is a` ngergpiecef|08 1 fCffigsi'Z and 3) shapedlike ,fangV invertedgT. I, ,The l cross-bar 10811! of the Tfha'sl an: offset portion`v's'znhicnh tslsnu'glylin a rectangular'notch or recess |9317; Vcuttransversely of slideV |0v3QY. This construction is illustrated by the'ffi 'slider-in Fig.V 3, 1The bottom-,surface of the 'cross-bar |0780;is flush f withfthelovver edge orfpltheslide 03 andisr adaptedAtoibefvviped by the shoes l9|. The cross-bar IlmaV Vfislongfenough toinsulate jthe shoes 9|Aassociated .Withve of the colurnnsly to 144 andseven 'of the v.columns to v26. v As'fan illustration, the 9 slidev`Hfcan, befy positioned vso' that at the"9r point in" each'rcardjcycle`the fshoefs `9| associated with l columns l'to Y5.01" theLcardwill beinsulated. VVithl g' a different-,settingtheshoes of columns 15 to-21,

fforexamplemvillbe insulated.: f Y A series of graduaidLloars |09l are`secured? to- Y thefmembers |06v by meansofscrevvsfl |0 (see Fig!` r 8)..'Ivheseb'ar's are 'shaped tojprovide a narrow.

slot; through which the iinger pieces |08 project.

'operates with ascaleof numbers ranging fromV -11-t'o26 engraved,printed, or embossed in thejad The numbers read` from left -torightjin-Fig. 8to correspond With Vthe sameV numberslin Fig..2 landthespacingof the gradua-V tion's onbars |09 voppositethe numbers ,inlFigSlices 91 insulated in 18,19, 20,21, 22, 23, 24 y 1 19,2o,21,22,2a,24,25s.,

: VWhen any of` the'slidesfl'are movedvas far ltolth'efright ('Fig. 18,)as they vvvill go, the lindexes 'ofv these slides'willfregister with theletters a a v The graduated ffbarslhave at theirV left-hand,V

ends" (Fig.V 8V)v initials which designateV the fingers dex-.pointpositionsY infthegcard `co1umn`s'.The

remaining bars ||1l9 4are similarlyinitialed in theY provide ayconvenientl means vfor insulating 'the ings," other lforms.'lr could beused. .a For instance me'ansjiorrnoving thel slides by Yhand but also YVthe nn'gerpieces. andrslides could. be 'an integral i metalstampingjwithV aseparate insert of insu-V latingfmaterial and allayerofinsulating material l rate pieces independently secured to the slidesinl For these'reasons it is not desired a steel ring |23.

various ways. to be limited to a iinger piece of the form shown in thedrawings.

A large gear I I2 (Fig. 2) is secured to the rear end of shaft 83 andmeshes with a smaller gear I|3 secured to the rear end of a short shaftII 4 journaled in the side SIb of the frame casting. A similar gear II5secured to the front end of shaftl I4, meshes with a gear IIi on a shaftIIlt which isV journaled in -th'esides 8m, Blbof the frame casting. GearH 'l meshes with an idler gear H8, journaled on a stud Il carried by thef side lb, which gear H8 meshes with a gear-|20 secured to the shaft 32.The driving ratio of the gearing is such that shaft ill turns at therate of one revolution per card cycle while shaft 8f3 turns only a halfrevolution in the same time.

The directions of rotation are indicated by arrow in Fig. 3. Y

A commutator |2| (Fig. 3) is secured to shaft I ll and consists of a hub|22 on which is pressed is loosely mounted a glass insert |23 which isheld against radial and axial movement by a pair of rings |25 ofinsulating material, the rings |25 having beads |2511 which'overlap theVedges of ring |23 and the insertl. SpringsIZE lo-f ed on the bar 8|d bymeans of two screws V|3I.

The commutator I2I is so timed with relation to brushes |29 that currentcan iiow at all points in the cycle except at the 12 position and for avery brief period thereafter. The selecting mechanism is mounted in asuit able case consisting of end pieces |32 (Figs. 1 and 3) secured tothe frame castings 82 supporting the hopper and to a bar |33 mounted onthe sides Sla, 8H), and a pair of center pieces |3ll,A

|35 (Fig. 3). One center piece |34 is secured to bar l33 and the members|06 while the other center piece |35 is also secured to members |06 andto a bar |36 carried by the sides 8|a, SIb of the Yframe casting. Theend pieces |32 are also secured to bar |35.

The usual single column selecting commutator' is designated SC in Fig.10 and is substantially the same as the one described' inAPatent No.1,741,985. The common brush |3'ia of this commutator is connected toline wire WI, while the brush |33 bearing on the individual segments isconnected to wire 19 leading to the normal sorting plug SP. The usualholding segment for commutator SC is designated |39 in Fig. 10 and has abrush |40 connected to the contacts of the usual brush relay BR and acommon brush |3`Ib connected to line wire W I. Brushes |3'Ia, |3'Ib arein reality a single brush in the machine as built, but this single brushhas been shown as two brushes in Fig. 10 to facilitate tracing circuits.The coil of brush relay BR is connected yto the usual contact rollcommon brush CB. Neither the selecting commutator SC nor thebrush CBThelatter has a' slot in which have beenshown in Figsfl and 4 as theirconstruction is Well-known. The commutatorVK SC 'is usually mounted onthe front end of the lower feed rollshaft 38 in Fig. 4.' v vThecommutator I 2| shown in Fig. 3 is cong pushed into the hole Icorresponding to the column 76 far enough to enter the sleeve 66 for thebrush B of column 16.A The cards would be placed in therhopper face upwith the 9 positions at the left (Fig. 1). All of the segments ofcornmutator SC would be made current conducting and the machine startedin the usual way.

When the brush B for column '76 encounters a hole in said column, say ahole, the following circuits will be `established at the 5 point in thecycle. `Line wire WI, brush |3'Ia, the 5 segmentA of commutator SC,=Wire T9, brush B for columnr176,contact roll CR, brush CB, relay BR,and sorting magnet SM, to line wire W2. The

sorting `magnet SM is thus energized at the 5 |40 and segment |39 whichcircuit is broken after theY 12 position.

The number of ridges appearing in nger Yprints that have been madecasually or accidentallyV is likely to vary due to variationsin thepressure exerted byfmgers in handling things or touching walls,furniture, etc. In .preparing fingerprint record sheets at prisons andother` places where the'persons whose printsy are desirecl is available,the prints are made with print-` ers ink under ideal conditions to bringout clearly every characteristic of the fingers. This is not so ofprints found at the scene of acrime or on articles handled or touched bya criminal or suspected person. This fact must be borne in mind insearching for record sheets corresponding to a specimen set of prints.The selector mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3 has been designed toselect not merely Vall cards having exactly the same ridge count as arecounted in the specimen prints, but also all other cards having ridgecounts a predetermined` amount higher'and lower than the specimenprints.

VExperienced finger print oiiicers sometimes disagree in respect totheridge count due to peculiarities in the ridges making it diiiicult tovdecide exactly wherethe` delta or outer terminus of a loop or Whorl islocated. Errors in counting ridges result from the condition of theprints, the closeness of spacing of the ridges, and other causes. As arule the larger( the number of ridges between termini the greater arethe chances of error. It is fo-r this reason that the selector hereindescribed is designed to select not only all cards having exactly thesame ridge counts but all others withinV a predetermined range amountabove and below each ridge count. Due to the greater chances of errorwhen the ridge count has a high Value, the selector is designed to varythe range of selection so that the ranges hand, a ridge count as neiasV22 on a Specimen print, requiresV that sheets showingcounts of 19,

20, 21, 23, 24, 25 Vforthesarne rige'rlbe comparedY With-the specimen;

v `Y",Iabl'e I given above shows how: the selections are made. foreachridge count. .Inf theease of ridge counts ranging lto-14,lforeachridge count,

'Y zo;

" available Whichfweretlaken from' articles handled g all. others twoabove-.and"twogbelow-the prede#A` termined countare'selected atthesame'ltirrnegexr- ,Y j; cept inthe cas'eoi the countsY I andZ. v 'In thecasecf ridge counts of 15, 16, '17, the cards show-l 'ing countsof three`Vabove -andgtwo' below Vare 1 select'eclf. f'vlfiiiis'isv dueto thechange in the spacing ofishees `9! VWinch occurs between Vcolumns 15 Yand- 16 m Figeaco'unts'ofr-vlsitofscresult in selectingY allA cards`three labovel'nd 1three belov'vY the `pr'edetefrrnjn'ed count,exceptfin the' case Vof abve are selected for obviousVv reasons.

v It A'will'be assumed that aset `)ci ten prints. are

' by'a suspected person andit isdesircd toidentifyf .K thisfperson ;rascertain his past record,kY physical characteristics; ete;- and obtainhis photograph.

A card is-punchedliketlie-one shown,..in Figa-'7 and the selector is setto agree with the ridge i .countspunched inthe card. The"f.slide. ID3.mustfbeset thefcolurnnl position, the 1 pus'rhed .throughthelfiolei'lilbI 'corresponding-.to v the 'sleeve '.i'e`S,"and switchv Sis. closed; Comj positions andthe machine. started.;intheusual slideto-'theV4 column 8 position, and soVon. The'.

cards" are.. Yplaced .in .the :hopper face upvvith ithef 9 positions atthe left-.(Fig. .1.). @..Plug SP .is

mutatorY SC .is madev current, conducting vinfall @Let it be assumedthatfa .cardjpunehed exactly vlike the'specimen showninFigf-'Lisfsensedfby vthe .45?brushes'B. Atthe..Qpositin: in thecyclegone50% i remaining pointsingthexcycle...'Thus,. sorting of' the tworshoes9!l corresponding to column .5

Will be .insulatedfby' the. finger'. piecelof the. 9

slide 93 and no circuitcan be established atthe 9 point.. Thesamewill betrue'With respectto column .7- at the8 point, and so. on .for Ythemagnet` SM will not be energized and the card v position, exactly thesaine thing Will `take place:

'60j 'Y Y will be conveyedY to the usual rejectpocket.Vv Ifi now. a cardis sensed which has a Vhole in any of Vthe following columns'of eachvindexpoint j Table II.,

I. Position comme;

The reason Hcorresponding Yto the punched' holes in 'Fig'.r 7,

but `alsointhe sameipositions of twomor Vthree adjacentacolumns.; i, l

Y for. this action is thatsetting the, slides 193 has the eiect ofinsulating'the shoes'QIV not only in the. columns and index-pointposition.V v

g is. careless enough to leaveidentiable prints of j eight' fingers `at.the scene of, Athe crime.. The.`

i availableprints would beclassied by fingerprint fflliposition, VThisis'illust'rated in lOy'vhich` fairer'. instance; setting the'rfoff-j"slide los' tothe I l column-{positionhas theieiectof insulatin'gthe.shoes 9,ljcorrespondingto'columns.2, 3, 5, 6 `at the columnsv prescribedfoitsuch .position in Table.l IIf..V Thus, a card havingholespun'ched asindicated n yv the Vfollowing"tal'oletv oulfcl be rejected.: i.. i

l iframe- Hf Notv let it beassumed'thatifa. card is sensed Y having oneor more holesnot conforming tothe.

inTable ILTbutf VVpositions and columns prescribed iV punched, asfollows:

'Table 1V 'rejected as describe-d" abovel j S-."fpnoint.4 This circuitistraced as followszLine4 segmentv 91 of column 19; 4cable 78, brush Bof' switch-S,and`the brushes 1,29 and ring '|23 of the YcornmutatorVi2lto linewire W2. 1 l

wherexthe insert' |211V isneifective to'break A.the s'hunt 'and Ypermit. energization .fofA the x sorting in Table 1v will be conveyedtothe k12 pocket.

.Any card punched in one lcr more of"V the columns and positionsindicated by the following'` table will also be conveyed lto the 12pocket: N

It usually happens that ai complete set off ten` finger prints'iis notavailable,l as criminals fare:

' seldom Aso careless'as to leavecornplete sets "of printsgat .thescenesY of. Ltheir.crimes .Suppose the card. in Fig. 7 represents thefingerprint record'. .sheet .of a. convicted'. person' who, .after Ycolumn 19yvill .establish ,a circuit throu'ghrelay' I Y Bl'1}sir1' :e'`only the. shoes' 9|Y associated With; 30 f Y columnsjto 7,inclusive,arelinsulated at the column 19,'contact roll CR,` brush-CB;relayfBR,`

. Relay BR through closure of itsY contacts estab` lishes the usualiholding-fcircuit for said relay through segment; 139.and'brushes;|3117,` 141?. Ito..

line, Wire Wl. The; commutator-.fIZIf'keepsthe. j "sorting magnetshuntedluntil. the:112 position" Y 1 serving aterm in one part of thecountry; .com-

magnet. f Asa resultthe card punched'asshown 1 mitsya-crime. inanotherpart of the'couritrylanduv The slides |93 for all except the 4land 9v i positions will be set in accordance withv the ridge counts ofthe eight specimen prints and commutator SC will be made non-currentconducting in the 4 and 9 positions. This procedure is necessary becausethe card shown in Fig; 7. will be located somewhere in the file of cards'and the presence of 4 and 9 holes in this card would cause it to besent to the 12 pocket instead of the reject pocket where it belongs. Inother words the desired card would not be found as only the cardsfalling in the reject pocket are of interest.

With this arrangement all cards having the same or nearly the same ridgecounts recorded by holes in the positions 0 to 3 and 5 to 8 will beconveyed to the reject pocket in spite of the fact that all or some ofthese cards have holes in the 4 and 9 positions of columns other than 5and 7 in Fig. 7.

Conversely, it may happen that a criminal operating under an assumedname, and suspected of being an old offender, is arrested for a crimeand found to have a physical deformity such as two iingers growntogether or a nger obviously missing from childhood. In this case, thecommutator SC would not be set to non-conducting position for themissing finger because all previous records of this criminal will show amissing finger. The slide |03 for the finger known to be missing will beset to the U position whereby none of the shoe 9| will be insulated inthe position corresponding to this slide. For instance, the lack of aleft-hand little finger from birth would require that the 9 slide |03 beset to the U position.

With this setting of the machine a cardhaving a hole in the 9 positionof any column will be conveyed to the 12 pocket where it belongs becauseit is obvious that the record sheet which this card identifies could notpossibly belong to the arrested criminal.

The cards falling in the reject pocket are studied and many may beeliminated immediately upon inspection due to disagreements inclassiiication so as to leave only a relatively small number of cards ofwhich the record sheets must be remo-ved from the lesfor careful studyand comparison with the specimen prints.

When a iinger or hand is found to have beenr amputated, the missingingers are treated as unknown by setting the commutator SC tonon-conducting position as explained above. 'Ihis is necessary becausethe amputation may have been performed since the preparation of therecord sheet in the Niiles.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamentalnovel features of the invention as applied to a single embodiment, itwill be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changesin the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operationmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limitedonly as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A selecting commutator for record controlled machines comprising aseries of rotatable contact devices; a series of slidesmanually movabletransversely of the plane of rotation-of the contact devices, saidslides being arranged in an arc and wiped by the contact devices duringtheir rotation; and means on the slides and "movable therewith forpreventing electrical contact with av predetermined number of thecontact devices.

2. A selecting commutatorfcr record controlled kmachines comprising aseries of rotary contact elements; a series of slides movabletransversely of the planes of rotation of the elements, said slidesacting as commutator bars over which said velements wipe periodically;and means on said slides for insulating a predetermined number oi saidelements during their rotation.

3. YA selecting device for record controlled ma-` chines comprising aseries of contact bars, a series vfof contact devices movabletransversely of the bars, and means on said bars whereby selectivelongitudinal movement of the bar transversely of the direction ofmovement of the contact devices insulates a predetermined number of thecontact devices while leaving the others uninsulated.

4. A selector device for record controlled machines comprising a seriesof longitudinally movable selecto-r slides each havingan insert ofinsu-` lating material of predetermined length; a series of contactdevices wiping over said slides andthe a series. of commutator barsslidably mounted in said combs formovement `longitudinally ofsaid shaft,said bars having portions thereof provided with insulating inserts ofpredetermined length; a series of rotary contact devices mounted on saidshaft and adapted successively toV wipe over said bars and the insertsas they shaft rotates, and means including a scale of values and anindex for variably moving the bars longitudinally to bring the insertsinto co-operation with predetermined groups of contact devices.

6. A finger print selecting commutator com prising a series oflongitudinally movable slides each corresponding to one of the' fingersof a hand, a scale and index for each slide whereby the slides may bevariably set according to the ridge counts on the fingers of both hands;a series of contact devices adapted to Wipe over the slides in serialorder transversely of their longitudinal axis, each contact devicecorresponding to a different ridge count; and means on each of theslides for insulating a group of the contact devices corresponding toapredetermined group of ridge counts whereby the setting of a selectedslide to a predetermined ridge count insulates not only the contactdevice corresponding to such ridge count but also tol a predeterminednumber of additional contact devices corresponding to ridge countsclosely related to the predetermined ridge count. f

7. In a machine controlled by records wherein a predetermined group ofcolumns correspond to ridge counts and the index-point positionscorrespond to the fingers of both hands, aseries oi longitudinallyslidable commutator` bars corresponding to the index-point positions ofa record,

a series of wiper elements each corresponding to a different recordcolumn yand ridge count and adapted to wipe over the bars in succession,a

series of analyzing Q brushes I connectedv to said wiperelements andadapted 'to sense holes in the group of columns representing they 'ridgecount,Y andmeanson the bars'whereby a'rpredetermined Y number of thewiper device'sv'vill be insulated when the bars are longitudinallyselectively set; 8.7. In combination-with the vmain framework *of recordcontrolled'machine such as asorting contacts of. said devices withsaid:bar: i

10. A group selecting commutator for record controlled machinescomprising a Vseries of'se lector vbarsldisposediin fan-shaped relation,each machine, guides mounted in said frame; andfa,

removable analyzer unit mounted in said guides,

said unitV comprising a pairof side fplates, -a pairA of rock armsmounted in said plates; a feedrzfcll Y rotatably mounted in saidV arms,and having a series of peripheral slots, spring means torock said armswherebyto press the feed roll-into contact with Ya record passingbyVVsaidfeed roll,

a brush support bar mounted in said platespa' Y series ofvanalyzingAbrushes disposed along said bar adjacent the slots in the feedrollandfp'roJ jecting through said slots into contact with the record,Ymeansto secure the brushes to saidbar including a series of membershaving bores, and` a plugboard plateV having aseries vof holesregistering with said bores whereby plugs, vrnayfbc inserted insaidmembers .through saidifhcles in the plug board plate. c

p9. Aselector for sortin'gmachinesland the lilre comprising a seriesofr'otary contact devices; Aa

longitudinally movable bar extending transversely of` the contactdeviceswhereby the contact demeans on saidbar for'preventingelectrical contactbetween said bar andra pre-determined .nuinber of said devices, andmeans to move the bar longitudinally to vary the .number of electricalcorresponding to an indexe'pcint" positiono'fa .--recordrto be selectedand'movablelongitudinally;

a series of rotary wipers adapted to successively 'move' Yover the YbarsVtransversely,each of said wipers corresponding toafcolumnof therecord,V

and'means onsaid bars whereby a' variable num--V moving the barslongitudinally, i

ber of said wipers may beinsulated by selectively rality of -groupsofclassications. f f A 171. A group selecting commutat'or-'for recordcontrolled machines comprising alseries Aofc contact stripseachcorrespondingto "an indexpcifit Y ferentially selectively slidablelongitudinally relaf' Vtivelto eachother; 'a seriesV` of contactelements moving inlaxed Ypathtransversely 'of said strips 'position ofarecordtobe selected and arranged Yin parallel spaced relation, saidstrips beinge'dif- Y whereby :to .progressively contact the strips; eachof said elements :corresponding to fone columnv Vin a eldof the recordto beselected, andfmeans on the strips wherebythe'lo'ngitudinal movement:offany *selected stripV varies the number of electrical contactsof saidcontact elements with the. stripin accordance with a predetermined'schedule.

12.v A selector rforrecord controlled machinesl i Y comprising'aseriesiof rotary circuit vclosing de` vices, one for each column of afield in4 which classication numbers are recorded, a switch barf commonto] all of said devices, and' means oper# atedby said switch bar forselectively controlling the number of contacts made by the rotaryswitching devices, a scale. of classifications, and

y' a finger;V piece for selectively setting the switch Y barV inaccordance withsaid-scale of classification. A

13: In a machine' cotroud by reeordsideatifled Yby classificationYdesignations disposed `in Va' eldicomprising a plurality of columns,-ama-V chine control/element, sensing means for `each column, meanscooperating with the-sensing".V

means for'operating the control element Vin accordance-with theclassification designations', and aseries ofimanually operable'memberseach common to all'the'columns ofsaid eld and variably settable inaccordance with a scale offclassiiica-A v l tions, eachmembercooperating with theoper- /atingm'eans tocause the 'latter to operatethe i machine control element in accordance witlra` e groupfo'fclassications, all of said members con#V jointly and simultaneouslyv'controlling the oper# ating means t0 causethe'machine'controll ele--`mentito be operated in vaccordance `with a plu?

